Boston Trip Advice

[RobDeer 45]

My wife and I are going to head out to Boston this summer for a weekend and then heading to Newport after that. I was curious if anyone had any advice on what is a must see out there. I don't like to do stuff that is too touristy but I would love to see the Fenway neighborhood (they don't play that weekend).

 

Love off the main path restaurants

Love good Italian food

Since this is our first trip out there I'm guessing we should see a few "touristy spots"

We enjoy a good pub

Not opposed to driving outside of Boston maybe to the south to see a beach town if anyone knows of a great one

 

Any advice would be awesome! Thanks in advance.

[homer]

You can follow the Freedom Trail (a big red stripe painted on the sidewalk) that will take you past most of the big historic spots downtown. Kind of a nice way to see the sights without having to think too much.

[WV Brew]

Second the Freedom Trail. It need not confine you to any route since it is self-guiding. There is a Fenway tour but you may need to arrange it ahead of time. Call the Red Sox for information. Fenway is not close to most attractions.

[RobDeer 45]

Thanks guys, I think the freedom trail sounds like the perfect type of thing for me. I like going at my own place and trying out random places. I think that would be good because you can veer off at any point.

 

Keep em coming if you got any other input! As Turnbow would say....Preesh.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

I third the Freedom Trail. Also a tour of Fenway is a must. I went the morning of a game but I am pretty sure they do them on off days too. And they use to go inside the scoreboard (mine didn't since it was to close to warm-ups). It's just a great city to walk around in, so much history there.

[Menotti80]

Freedom trail for sure. Fenway tour also. I recommend a short bus trip to Harvard campus for a meal at some point

[Jimbo]

We took the tour bus. Very convenient. You see the sights while the bus parks and waits for you to come back. I think it's bostontours.com

[chadomac]

Yes, Fenway does tours pretty much every day. We did a tour on a non-gameday. It's very cool and you get to sit in a bunch of different spots throughout the park. You don't get to go on the field like you do at Camden Yards, but other than that it's pretty cool.

 

Boston seemed like a great city, I was there for just two days this fall and got some unfriendly weather, so I didn't get to explore it as much as I would've liked.

 

Get a lobster roll from James Hook or Belle Isle!

[berniebrewer4life]

If you love Italian food, go walk around the north end for an hour or two. It's as close to old Europe(as far as the feel of the neighborhood) as anywhere I've been in the US.

 

As for the best coastal town, my vote goes for Rockport(less than an hour drive NE of boston). It's kind of touristy, but it's beautiful and home to one of the most photographed and painted subjects in the world(also, i got a full lobster for $10 there a few years back, so it sticks in my heart).

 

http://s3.hubimg.com/u/1238846_f520.jpg

[RobDeer 45]

Great advice everyone! North End was a for sure, can't wait to get some good grub there. Also, my wife loves lobster rolls, so that will be a must too! I really appreciate all the help! Looking forward to the freedom trail and Fenway. Yanks play the Saux that weekend in NY. I think we will watch the game in a bar near Fenway, just for the experience.

[hawing]

Looking forward to the freedom trail and Fenway. Yanks play the Saux that weekend in NY. I think we will watch the game in a bar near Fenway, just for the experience.

The Red Sox were playing at Yankee Stadium when we took the Fenway tour in 2008. It (the rivalry) was almost all the tour guide could talk about. I'll be interested to see if you have a similar experience.

[Menotti80]

Random fact.

 

When we went to Boston in '08, the first thing we did was go to a Fenway bar for lunch. I wanted a Boston beer, so i instinctively ordered a Sam's Boston lager.

 

I then found Sam's is brewed in Pennsylvania, not in Massachusetts. Bummer

[RobDeer 45]

Anyone know of a good irish pub or just a good Boston Sports bar near Fenway?

[Baldkin]

The Cask and Flagon is right across the street from Fenway, and is a pretty good bar.

 

They treated us well in '08 when we waited to get into game 2 of the doubleheader.

[dhoffman19]

Anyone know of a good irish pub or just a good Boston Sports bar near Fenway?

 

The Cask is a good idea, just behind the Green Monster across Lansdowne St. Also, Game On is directly across the street and is part of Fenway. I'm also a big fan of The Yardhouse which is on Brookline Ave a couple blocks away. About 100 beers on tap and the food is a notch better. There's also a place called Bleacher Bar on Lansdowne which is also built into the CF wall at Fenway. There's a big garage door they open so you're basically a foot away from the warning track. Open even on non game days. Pretty cool.

 

The freedom trail takes you through the North End, so there's your Italian food. If you want pizza there's a great place on Thacher St called Pizzeria Regina. Its a dive but the pizza is great. Otherwise, plenty of other places.

[RobDeer 45]

Heading out this weekend so I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks again everyone for the tips.

[RobDeer 45]

Thanks for all the advice, we had a great trip. We went to the bar inside the green monster and watched the Yanks Sox game (at NY) and the opening of the Olympics. That was a cool seat looking right in to Fenway. Did the Freedom Trail and just walked, ate, and had a few drinks as we went through Boston. We hit up James Hook Co. for a lobster roll and another great spot is the Barking Crab (right across the water from James Hook. Great food and cool atmosphere. It's like a shack on the water. (at night they have live music). North End was a blast, we spent quite a bit of time there.

 

Again, thanks for all the advice, it was much appreciated.